Police make arrest in hate crime beating of Davis resident

Police made an arrest Thursday in the alleged hate crime against a Davis man who was attacked and brutally beaten outside his cousin's apartment over the weekend.

According to Davis police, 19-year-old Clayton Garzon, a Davis resident, was taken into custody Thursday without incident. Garzon is accused of attacking 31-year-old Mikey Partida, also of Davis, around 3:50 a.m. Sunday as Partida was leaving his cousin's party on the 300 block of I Street.

On a Facebook page set up by Partida's family, the victim's supporters wrote that he was "violently attacked and beaten to near death" by a man "kicking and beating him while yelling homophobic slurs."

In a statement released Thursday, Davis police said that "witnesses indicate the motive for the attack may have at least partially stemmed from the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation. Derogatory words regarding sexual orientation were used both prior to and after the attack."

Garzon is being booked at Yolo County Jail on suspicion of committing a hate crime. Other possible charges include stalking, assault with a deadly weapon and committing a felony while on release from custody - the last because Garzon "was on release from Solano County Jail pending felony charges," police said.

Court documents from Solano County Superior Court show Garzon was scheduled to appear in court on March 21. Prosecutors in that case were not immediately available for comment.

Partida was transported to UC Davis Medical Center after the attack, where he was treated for "a fractured skull, bleeding on his brain, multiple fractured bones in his face and a laceration to his head," according to family members.

Partida is an employee at the Davis Food Co-op on G Street, and on Wednesday coworkers announced he was out of the intensive care unit. "Everyone is hoping for a full and speedy physical recovery," said Food Co-op spokeswoman Lis Harvey.

People wishing to donate to Partida's recovery fund can click on a PayPal link on the family's Facebook page; search for "Mikey's Justice Fund" on Facebook to find the page.